OSCE Centre holds discussion on Kazakhstan’s new criminal procedure legislation

AK-BULAK, Kazakhstan, 15 March 2013 – A roundtable discussion supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana on the reform of the Criminal Procedure Code of Kazakhstan began today in Ak-Bulak near Almaty.

The event brings together high-level government officials, parliamentarians, local and international legal experts, and representatives of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.

Participants discussed key changes to the Code initiated by the Prosecutor General’s Office. These envisage the simplification and reform of pre-trial procedures, the introduction of plea bargaining, the reduction of witness’ involvement in pre-trial proceedings, and the establishment of an investigative judge institution to sanction measures of restraint for the accused individual, as well as the abolition of the practice of remanding cases by which judges can return a case for additional investigation.

During the discussions particular attention was paid to rights to due process and other international standards and commitments in the sphere of criminal justice.

“Effective and fair criminal procedure law is the basis for combating crime, including corruption and organized crime,” said Jeannette Kloetzer, Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana. “The OSCE Centre assists Kazakhstan in developing and implementing criminal procedure legislation in line with the OSCE and international principles and commitments, and today’s event is part of this work.”

“Reform of the criminal legislation in Kazakhstan is aimed at improving criminal prosecution and the overall criminal justice system, in order for criminal procedures to be more efficient and effective, comply with international rule of law standards, and contribute to better protection of citizen’s rights,” said Marat Tazhin, Secretary of State of Kazakhstan.

The event was co-organized with the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan, the EU Project on Reform of the Judicial System, the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ), the Netherlands Embassy and the local NGO “Charter for Human Rights”. The roundtable meeting is part of the Center’s support to the authorities and non-governmental actors’ efforts to strengthen the rule of law and criminal justice institutions in Kazakhstan.